From water to engine: the history of energy

As part of the Padovani Nocturnes 2026, on Thursday 16 July and Thursday 10 September, from 6 to 7 pm, the "Enrico Bernardi" Museum of Machines in Padova, via Venezia 1, offers the guided tour From water to the engine: the history of energy, a path dedicated to the evolution of machines, energy and innovation.

Through the rooms of the museum and the new Machine Gallery, the public is taken on a journey through time to discover how, before electricity, man was able to transform the power of water, steam and fuels in motion, giving life to systems, inventions and engines that marked the transition from the pre-industrial world to modernity. 

The visit offers the opportunity to learn about ancient water wheels, models, tools, material testimonies and machines that tell the development of mechanical production and the change in the relationship between man, territory and technology, up to the birth of the first hydroelectric plants and the development of engines. The itinerary also allows you to deepen thefigure of Enrico Zeno Bernardi, Italian pioneer of the automobile and founder of the first Italian automotive industry.

Inaugurated in 1941, on the centenary of his birth, the museum preserves an important archive dedicated to his life and activity, together with precious examples of internal combustion engines and prototypes that marked the European motoring history of the second half of the nineteenth century, including the Pia engine, the first example of a petrol engine in Europe, the Lauro engine, considered the first motor-scooter, and the famous three-wheeled car built in 1894, the first car of entirely Italian conception.

The duration of the tour isone hour. The booking fee is 3 euros per person and includes a guided tour of the Bernardi Museum and the new Machine Gallery. Places are limited and online booking is mandatory.

Payment is made by credit card at the end of the booking; There is no payment by bank transfer.